Fostering Culture and Tradition at the Forefront of Statoil Sponsorship

In 2014, Statoil became the first-ever presenting sponsor of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, which is held in August in St. John’s and aims to keep the tradition of folk music alive in the province. Now in its 38th year, the festival is Canada’s second-longest running folk festival.

Statoil’s partnership with the festival enabled the launch of two youth talent initiatives. The Statoil MusicNL NewFound Talent Contest is the contest that has been held for the past three years and is dedicated to supporting emerging youth performers. The contest took place at the folk festival. Musicians aged 19 years and younger performed before a panel of judges and an appreciative audience, and the winners received professional resources to kick start their career as musicians. Statoil and festival organizers also presented the Song-Writers of Tomorrow Essay Competition. Leading up to the festival, Newfoundland and Labrador students were invited to submit short essays demonstrating why they are passionate about music and songwriting. Winners were awarded passes to the festival, where they were able to learn the tools to write a folk song about Newfoundland and Labrador with the assistance of a local musician.